Хребти божевілля

           Muchofthelatercityaswenowfoundithadbeenbuiltoverthatformerbed. TheOldOnes,understandingwhathadhappened,andexercisingtheiralwayskeenartisticsense,hadcarvedintoornatepylonsthoseheadlandsofthefoothillswherethegreatstreambeganitsdescentintoeternaldarkness. 

           Thisriver,oncecrossedbyscoresofnoblestonebridges,wasplainlytheonewhoseextinctcoursewehadseeninouraeroplanesurvey. Itspositionindifferentcarvingsofthecityhelpedustoorientourselvestothesceneasithadbeenatvariousstagesoftheregion’sage-long,aeon-deadhistory,sothatwewereabletosketchahastybutcarefulmapofthesalientfeatures—squares,importantbuildings,andthelike—forguidanceinfurtherexplorations. Wecouldsoonreconstructinfancythewholestupendousthingasitwasamillionortenmillionorfiftymillionyearsago,forthesculpturestoldusexactlywhatthebuildingsandmountainsandsquaresandsuburbsandlandscapesettingandluxuriantTertiaryvegetationhadlookedlike. Itmusthavehadamarvelousandmysticbeauty,andasIthoughtofit,Ialmostforgottheclammysenseofsinisteroppressionwithwhichthecity’sinhumanageandmassivenessanddeadnessandremotenessandglacialtwilighthadchokedandweighedonmyspirit. Yetaccordingtocertaincarvings,thedenizensofthatcityhadthemselvesknowntheclutchofoppressiveterror; fortherewasasomberandrecurrenttypeofsceneinwhichtheOldOneswereshownintheactofrecoilingaffrightedlyfromsomeobject—neverallowedtoappearinthedesign—foundinthegreatriverandindicatedashavingbeenwasheddownthroughwaving,vine-drapedcycadforestsfromthosehorriblewestwardmountains.